Staff Picks
We Have Come Not to Praise Books, But to Read Them
I have been working in bookstores and libraries for most of my professional career.
And I’ve recognized a distinct list of major authors whose work seems to somehow remain out of my reach due to my own magnified perceptions.
The result of these colliding forces is that the books at the top of my “To Read” fiction list have been there for quite a while.
Perhaps now is the time.
The recent and unfortunate passing of Toni Morrison has helped me understand what I might be missing.
Hearing of the impact that her body of work has made on the literary world inspired me to try reading Beloved.
I, too, can participate in the lyrical language, powerful themes, and intricate imagery of these authors.
Or not.
The possibility exists that these authors may not speak to me as they do to others. And that’s okay, too.
In his travelogue Following the Equator, Mark Twain describes a classic as "a book that people praise and don't read."
Let's have less classics and more books in our rearview reading mirror.
Beloved
by Toni Morrison
Why it's on my list:
I've read that it is a gut-wrenching novel that examines the dark specter of slavery and personal loss, all of this told using poetic language.
Lonesome Dove
by Larry McMurtry
Why it's on my list:
I've never heard anyone mention this novel without saying they loved it, and it is said to be a western pars excellence.
Their Eyes Were Watching God
by Zora Neale Hurston
Why it's on the list:
I'd like to know the book behind the compelling title. Also, Hurston's life story itself is quite fascinating.
The Grapes of Wrath
by John Steinbeck
Why it's on the list:
When it was released in 1939, this novel steeped in realism took the literary world by storm. This book is a snapshot of American history frozen in time.